


Voice

by commodore_dragon



Category: Persona 2, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Formerly Mute Tatsuya Suou, Friends to Lovers, I have too many subplots going on, M/M, No Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Persona 5 Spoilers, Scars, references to trauma, tags will update with story, this would be a slow burn if it was in chronological order
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 7,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25471210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commodore_dragon/pseuds/commodore_dragon
Summary: "I want to run away with you. Actually, that's not true, I'm no good at running. Can I walk away with you?""Well, that kinda defeats the purpose. If you walk away with me, everyone else could catch up.""Oh, you're right... could you carry me?""Not the whole time, but maybe until we get far enough away.""Works for me."-----A collection of drabbles with the casts of Persona 2 and 5 as contemporaries. Centers on Futaba and Tatsuya, but everyone will make an appearance.
Relationships: Kitagawa Yusuke/Lisa Silverman, Mayuzumi Yukino/Yoshizaka Anna, Okumura Haru & Kurosu Jun, Sakamoto Ryuji/Mishina Eikichi, Sakura Futaba/Suou Tatsuya
Comments: 7
Kudos: 17





	1. Lock - Tatsuya and Futaba

Tatsuya doesn't really remember how he ended up in Yongen-Jaya for the first time. He _thinks_ he had been running an errand of some kind - but one way or another, he had wandered from the backstreets into the coffee shop that was almost hidden away. Really, he had only stepped in to get away from the baking heat, buying a plate of curry with coffee as an excuse to stay in the air-conditioned cafe. That wasn't what brought him back - although they were both fantastic, he had to admit. It was the orange-haired girl sitting in the corner who had struck up a conversation on that summer day. He finds himself returning to Leblanc, sipping another cup of rich coffee, speaking to this strange girl again. And again.  
The girl - Futaba, as she had introduced herself - isn't quite like anyone else he had met. She fascinates him. They ask each other questions, and never discuss the same thing twice. One day they complain to each other about other people's habits, the next they have a heated debate about Phoenix Rangers. Eventually he asks her _why_ she's different.  
Her face darkens, and Tatsuya berates himself for sounding so callous. "I'm sorry."  
"No, it's... fine." She glances around the coffee shop- no one is watching them, although the boss looks their way fairly often. "It's... about two years ago, _something_ happened. That's all I'm gonna say about it. And I, uh, didn't take it very well. I started locking myself away. Wouldn't speak to anyone but Sojiro. I only got better real recently. So people... not my best thing."  
Futaba sighs like she'd been holding her breath. "I don't usually share that. People ask stupid questions. Why didn't I just leave, if I tried going outside, stuff like that. They don't get it. It's not that I _wouldn't_ , I just..."  
"Couldn't," he finishes. Tatsuya remembers fire and pain, and the silence that overtook him after, and the days spent uselessly trying to force his voice to work, so that he could just be _normal_ again. "I think I understand."


	2. Paper - Tatsuya and Futaba

Futaba can't forget the first time she sees Tatsuya smile. The summer is turning into autumn, and he blows in from a windy day with a newspaper clutched to his chest and a spark of pride in his eyes. He says his hellos to Sojiro, buys a coffee as the price of admission, and rushes to the back corner where she's waiting.   
"Futaba! Futaba, look at this." The newspaper he sets on the table is one she's never heard of - the Meguro Tribune.  
"Did something happen?"  
"Sort of." Her visitor flips through the loose pages until he reaches one near the back, pointing out a filler piece about an animal shelter in Yutenji, written by one Maya Amano.  
"Isn't she a friend of yours? Amano?"  
"Yeah, but- the picture."  
Futaba gives it a closer look. It's a nice photo, a dog inviting someone to play, and at the bottom: _Photo credit: Tatsuya Suou, Yukino Mayuzumi._ It hits her, why he's so excited - "Did they finally use one of yours?"  
"Yes!" And Tatsuya grins in a way that gives her butterflies.   
"That's really nice, you know. You should do it more often."  
"I mean, I take plenty of pictures, they just don't get published."  
"I meant smiling."   
He looks offended for a brief second, before his expression softens. "... I'll see what I can do."


	3. Sunset - Tatsuya and Maya

They're running out of time.   
The other three have already left, leaving just him and Maya in the cooling evening air. He knows that he should be going home soon, but he's too scared. When he says goodbye to her, he won't see her again. Her family will move to the other side of Tokyo, and he'll be lucky if they ever cross paths. He doesn't even know if she'll be the only friend he loses.   
Maya is the one who draws them all together, their big sister, the heart of their little circle. When she's gone, will they all stop talking to each other? Just... drift apart? Tatsuya doesn't exactly have friends to spare.  
"You're worrying again, Tacchan." As always, she sees right through him.   
"I can't help it."  
"There's still time, you know. I don't have to be home until sunset." She looks up at the overcast sky and smiles. "Besides, you gotta think positive. Maybe it'll rain, and we'll have to hide out inside until it stops."  
Optimism doesn't come naturally to him, but he tries anyway. "Maybe... if it doesn't rain, I can still walk you home, or something?"  
"That's the spirit!" She giggles, making him laugh with her, until they're as cheery as they would be any other day. They might be running out of time, but that's still better than having no time at all.   
If either of them heard the thunder rumbling above the Alaya Shrine, they ignored it.


	4. Award - Lisa and Yusuke

Lisa doesn't _get_ art. Most of it seems like people were just trying to paint whatever was around them, not make anything _new_ \- and yeah, she knows there weren't always cameras, but you don't see photographs hung up next to the paintings, do you? The rest of it is even worse. Modern art, abstract art, whatever you call it - what is it supposed to be? What's the point of it? Seeing how much paint you can throw on a canvas? She remembers hearing somewhere that _art's not supposed to look nice, it's supposed to make you feel something_ , but all it makes her feel is confused. But she had gotten the museum ticket free from a magazine raffle, so she had decided to make the best of it.  
She strolls through the museum, focusing on the paintings that don't follow the rule and simply look nice. So many of the descriptions seem barely related to the picture - it reminds her of the people on TV who talk about wine using all the colorful phrasings they can muster up, when she'd never encountered one that smelled much like anything but alcohol. But one painting still catches her eye. It draws her attention.  
It looks like a black hole, or some kind of nightmarish whirlpool. Appropriate enough, for the way it sucks her in. The piece is called _Desire_ , and for the first time she understands the feeling behind it. This isn't desire like falling in love with someone. This is desire like killing someone that doesn't love you back so that no one else can have them. It makes her skin crawl, but she can't pull her eyes away, like a watching a car crash.  
She finally tears herself away when she realizes someone is staring at her as intently as she's been staring at the painting. There's a boy with glossy dark hair hovering near the artwork, staying out of the visitors' ways.  
"Are you interested in this one?"  
She pretends not to understand him, and responds with some of the little English she knows - "Sorry!" - before hurrying off towards art that's closer to her comfort zone.  
Lisa can't shake the feeling that she won't forget this encounter anytime soon.


	5. Twilight - Tatsuya and Futaba

As the autumn semester starts, Tatsuya spends more and more time at the cafe. He arrives in the evening with his books and papers and leaves when night falls and the cicadas sing. In the process, he puts away enough curry to realize Sakura uses different recipes on different days - his favorite is Saturday's curry, when it's the mildest. Futaba sticks around while he studies, piping in when her odd patchwork of knowledge can be of assistance. He gets so accustomed to her presence that the first night she isn't there, he falls asleep at the table. By the time her brother brings her back to Leblanc, and she wakes him up, it's at least 9 PM.  
"Tatsu, do you ever sleep?"  
"I just was."  
"Not like that, genius, when you're _supposed_ to!"  
"Oh." He has to think about it. "Not enough."  
"Well, that's a problem."  
"No, I get that, I'm just... busy."  
"How busy can you be?"  
"Very?"  
She huffs. " _Explain_ , Tatsu."  
"Well... I have to get to work right after school gets out. I come straight here after work, but some days it takes longer to finish than others. And I don't usually leave until closing time."  
"Wouldn't it save you time to study at home?"  
"But then I don't get to see you."


	6. Dawn - Tatsuya and Futaba

Katsuya had called earlier to say he wouldn't be home that night. He's vague on the details - meaning it has to be work keeping him late - but as far as Tatsuya is concerned, that just means he doesn't have to be home that night either. It would be a good chance to spend time with a friend, but they all have school or work in the morning - they might not appreciate his keeping them awake. Except... He pulls out his phone to send a chat message.

suou98: hey futaba  
HoneyOTU: What's up?  
suou98: do you have plans  
HoneyOTU: Are you kidding?  
HoneyOTU: I never have plans.  
suou98: planning to play video games all night is still a plan  
HoneyOTU: Guilty as charged.  
HoneyOTU: Did you have another idea?  
suou98: yeah  
suou98: are you ok going out  
HoneyOTU: Ummmmm...  
HoneyOTU: I think I'll be alright as long as I stick close to you!  
HoneyOTU: (*￣▽￣)b  
suou98: great  
HoneyOTU: Do you have anywhere particular in mind?  
suou98: nah  
suou98: ill decide on the way there  
HoneyOTU: Wow.  
suou98: grab a bike helmet if you have one

Tatsuya pulls up to Leblanc 20 minutes later. The sky is gloomier than it was when he left, but it's not raining yet. He pulls out his phone to send another message, but Futaba bursts out the door before he can type anything. In one hand she has a green-striped bicycle helmet, in the other is a clear raincoat, and on her face is a huge smile.   
"Alright! Where are we going?"  
"Is there anywhere you want to go?"  
"Oh! Can we get ramen?"  
"Sure thing." He pats the back of his motorcycle. "Hop on."


	7. Key - Tatsuya and Katsuya

Tatsuya doesn't want to do this. He hates secrets, hates deception, hates tricking people. Nothing good _ever_ comes out of dishonesty, as far as he's concerned. But here he is... He replays the conversation he just had in his head, almost compulsively. It wasn't even _lying_ , and it still made his stomach hurt.   
Katsuya had been stifling yawns as he was talking, complaining about his day, apologizing for always being late, until Tatsuya interrupted him. "I know you've been working hard. You don't have to lose any more sleep just for my sake." Katsuya had simply thanked him, and gone off to bed.  
And almost as soon as his brother's back was turned, he had pried open his laptop and pulled up Futaba's program from the USB. He stares at the progress bar as the files copy, until his vision blurs and it disappears into the yellow of Katsuya's wallpaper. He wonders if this is illegal, then decides it doesn't matter. Even if it's not, his brother will be furious - if he ever finds out.   
Once he has what he needs, he shakily closes the computer, pulls out the USB, makes it look like he had never touched it. Tomorrow he'll hand it back over to Futaba at the coffee shop, and she'll scour the data for Katsuya's work on the Phantom Thieves case.  
Tatsuya lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. The things he does for that girl.


	8. Concert - Eikichi and Ryuji + Akira

Shinjuku might be Eikichi's favorite place. There's the neon signs in the background, all flashing at different intervals like the world's least predictable fireworks show. There's the fact that he could walk in any direction and find some cool place he never knew existed - nothing like his home in Shimura. And there's the people milling around, acting like there are no consequences for how much they drink and how late they stay out. If he didn't have so many posters to post, he thinks, he could spend the whole evening wandering around, watching the crowds.   
He plasters yet another wall with yet another poster - a rough, homemade advertisement for his band that he had printed out at school. He's not sure if the guys will _really_ be ready for their gigs, but they have to start somewhere. They might get some negative press if they go in unprepared, but it's whatever. No such thing as bad publicity, right?  
Eikichi's worries are interrupted by an excited outburst from somewhere nearby - he can't quite make it out. He peers out of the alleyway to investigate, but there's none of the commotion he expected - just two boys about his age, one casually dressed with dark hair, one with yellow-dyed hair, still in his school uniform.   
They're speaking conspiratorially about something, and haven't noticed him yet. The black-haired boy seems a bit lame, but the energetic blond one reminds him of the guys he sees every day at Kasugayama. Maybe...  
"Hey! Hey!"  
"Huh?" The pair turns to face him as he dashes out of the alley. Once they're looking at him, he freezes up, his mouth taking over without any input from his brain.   
"Come see Overkill here in Shinjuku, we'll be playing starting this August, tell your friends!" And then he presses a few posters into the blond one's hands, and sprints off as fast as he had run in.  
As soon as he turns the corner, he leans against the wall to catch his breath, and laugh at himself. "Well, that was smooth."


	9. Teeth - Tatsuya and Futaba + Morgana

Tatsuya's first encounter with Morgana isn't pleasant for anyone. Akira stays in at Leblanc one foggy evening, the cat resting on the counter. The older boy had gathered his things, and is on his way out when he sees Morgana lying there, and his eyes light up. "Hi there, cat," he says with a soft smile, reaching out to pet him with his free hand. The black and white cat startles awake, and bites the extended hand in a panic. "Owwww, shit!" He pulls back, equally startled.  
Futaba decides now is as good a time as any to intervene. She scolds Morgana, telling Akira to take him back upstairs, before going to check on Tatsuya. "You alright?"  
"Yeah. Just surprised me." She inspects the teethmarks on his hand - he's right, the skin is barely broken.   
"I think we should still get this cleaned up," she says, pulling him over to the bathroom.   
"It's really not that - ow." He winces as the water hits the bite.  
"Sorry about Morgana." Futaba seems less harsh somehow, here where it's quieter.   
"Probably my fault."  
"No, he's kinda weird... honestly, they both are." She cringes a little. "Akira, I mean."  
He nods. He doesn't know Akira well, but he seems almost as strange as Futaba sometimes. "It must run in the family," he teases.  
"We're not related," she says, confused.  
"You're not?" He pulls away to look at her, like he can just analyze her face for an explanation.   
"I mean, Sojiro's taking care of him too, so I guess he's like my brother for now, but..." She finally clues in - Tatsuya was only now realizing that there's no blood relation between the three of them. He probably deserves an explanation, she thinks.   
"My mom's not around," she says suddenly. "That's what... happened. To me, I mean. She died." Futaba is suddenly very aware that she's still holding onto his hand.  
"My parents aren't around either."  
"Huh?"  
"It's just me and my brother." He looks thoughtful, like there's more he wants to say, but instead he squeezes her hand. "I'll see you tomorrow."


	10. Tattoo - Tatsuya and Futaba

It takes Futaba longer than she'd like to admit to realize that Tatsuya is always wearing a jacket when she sees him. When he's not wearing the black one that's part of his school uniform, it's his own red leather one. Eventually temperatures begin to climb again, but it never seems to bother him. Then the spring weather gets drastically warmer, staying as humid and cloudy as it has been. Even inside the coffee shop, the heat seems to hang in the air. They're sitting beneath the air conditioner, talking about what they need to do at least _once_ in their lives, Tatsuya drinking a cold soda instead of the usual hot coffee, when he finally gives in and pulls his jacket off.  
"Feels like I'm turning into a puddle of sweat," he says, crossing his arms over his chest. And Futaba sees, for the first time, the scar that snakes its way up his right arm. He realizes what he has just done and quickly tries to hide his arm behind his back, but it's too late. She grabs his hand and pulls it forward to get a better look.  
"What happened there?" She looks up at him, but he won't meet her eyes.   
"Burned." Tatsuya has become very still, and somehow less talkative than he was before.   
She runs her fingers up the length of it, from the edge of his hand to the corner of his elbow, pulling back when he shudders. "Does it hurt?"  
"No, it's... old. I just don't like looking at it."  
"Or... other people looking at it?" Futaba lets go of his hand, and he visibly relaxes.  
"Exactly."   
"If it makes you feel any better, I think it looks kickass."  
He doesn't say anything, but she thinks she sees a faint smile on his face. 


	11. Chase - Tatsuya and Goro

Futaba calls him in a panic. He can tell from her voice that something is wrong. At first she's talking so fast he can barely understand her - he tells her to slow down and start over, and it begins to fall into place.  
Akira has been arrested. Someone tried to kill him. And now he's getting away. "I need your help," she says. " _We_ need your help." She doesn't tell him what to do. She doesn't need to. He can't do what they can, but they can't do what he does, either. "Good luck, Tatsu," Futaba says, and hangs up.  
He makes a few calls of his own, while gathering supplies for a visit to the Other Side. They have a traitor to catch.


	12. Hallucinations - Maya and Tatsuya Sudou

Sudou wonders if this is a dream. It's too good to be true, and too plausible to be a delusion. It had all started with those delusions, the fantasies that worm their way into his brain and warp his reality. He had made the decision to write it all down, to take it out of his head and put it on paper where he would be safe from it. Then that paper turned into a story - a story people saw and shared, and the story turned into a book, and somehow got published, and suddenly he had _money_ , and now he has a real apartment and a real computer and even pills that make his life a thousand times easier.   
There's even some woman from the newspaper who wants to talk to him soon. Sudou checks the calendar - it's today, actually.   
"Fuck." He looks over his apartment in despair. It bears a stronger resemblance to a disaster zone than anywhere a human should be living. He has notepads and drafts and bills on every available surface, there are empty cans and bottles and cups sitting on top of those, the trash is full of take-out containers and gum wrappers, his laundry is piled on the floor...  
Sudou considers asking the newspaper lady to meet somewhere else, but he decides against it. He has no idea what she plans to ask him. It's some kind of interview, but he doesn't know if she wants to talk about the book, or him, or what, and she could easily want to know why he started writing, and... he doesn't plan to discuss his goddamn chronic psychosis anywhere close to being in public. Instead he starts gathering cups, and hopes she's running late.   
He's still shoving bills into drawers when there's a knock on the door. _Shit, shit, shit..._ He pulls the door open, and finds himself facing a young woman in a jacket with a heart sewed on.  
"Hi!" She gives him a winning smile - a genuine one, too, catching him off guard. "Can I come in?"


	13. Present - Tatsuya and Futaba

Futaba takes to inviting Tatsuya up into the attic, when Akira isn't there. The heat is more manageable there, especially with the window open. As a fringe benefit, there's no customers to hear them talk and judge them over their conversations. The same principle should apply to what she eats up there, she thinks, but as it turns out, Tatsuya starts to take exception.   
He props his chin up on his hand. "Is that all you eat?"  
"Uh, you saw me eating noodles yesterday." Today she's working on a cup of mango ice cream.  
"That's not what I meant, and you know it." He sits up straighter, seeming annoyed.   
"I don't, actually. What's wrong with it?" Futaba glances down at the orange cup, then back up at him.   
"It's all junk."  
"So what?" She turns around to throw away the melted dregs.  
"So-" He straightens his head to stare her down properly. "It's not good for you."  
"I feel fine though," she says, tossing orange hair over her shoulder.   
"I don't think you are."  
"Why do you say that?" She moves further away, not liking where the conversation is going.   
"Look at you," Tatsuya laughs, making a sweeping gesture. "You're barely five feet tall, you never have any energy... face it, you're probably malnourished."  
"I can't..." She rubs her arm. "I can't exactly go out and get anything better!"  
"If I bring food for you, will you eat it?"  
"Is that a trick question? Absolutely."  
Is it her imagination, or does she have him charmed?


	14. Sunrise - Tatsuya and Futaba

She looks nervous. Futaba is sitting on the back of his motorcycle, summoning her strength. She stares at her reflection in the helmet she's holding - seeing herself in the blacks and reds of Shujin's uniform.  
"You're worrying again."  
"I can't help it, Tacchan!" She bites at her nails, no longer trying to hide her anxiety.   
"Okay. What's the worst that could happen?" He pulls her hand away from her mouth, and holds it in his lap.  
"I have a breakdown in class, and people think I'm a freak for the rest of the year." She lowers her head, and Tatsuya takes the opportunity to pat it.  
"If you're gonna have a panic attack, you tell the teacher you're getting a migraine, and ask to go to the bathroom where it's quieter." He thinks he sees some of the tension drop from her shoulders. "Now, what's probably going to happen?"  
"Uh... being around so many people I don't know makes me nervous all day, and the whole experience is generally un-fun."  
"Alright, when things get rough, you send me a text and we'll talk it out. Or..." He scratches his head, trying to remember. "Your friends are third-years now, right? You can always go to them."  
"I know, I just..." She turns her head away. "I just wish I could stop being so nervous about this."  
"Sometimes you just have to do things nervous." He notices the red face that Futaba is trying to hide, and adds, "Nothing to be embarrassed about."  
"Okay..." She takes a deep breath. "I gotta go now."  
She swings her legs over the side of his bike, but he sweeps her into a hug before she can go anywhere. "I know you can do this."


	15. Moon - Suou family

Tatsuya has never been so grateful for rain in all eight years of his life. The wind batters it against the window - the last vestiges of the storm that had swept over the shrine. It would probably be very calming, if he was listening from his own room, rather than a room in a hospital. Instead he lays there with his arm covered in gauze, watching the clouds drift away from the crescent-moon that hangs in the sky like a scratch in black paint. Katsuya sits by his bed, stunned and silent, while their father talks with the doctor.  
"All things considered, Officer Suou, your son is very lucky. As far as I can tell, his burns should heal without any permanent damage."  
"What about his voice?" he says nervously, folding his hands in his lap.  
"It's probably smoke inhalation. Chances are that he'll recover within a few days." Tatsuya wants to ask the one question that his family won't - _what happens if I don't get better_ \- but of course, he can't. Eventually, the two of them leave - the doctors want him to stay overnight, to monitor his condition - and he's alone in the dark in an unfamiliar room. Until Maya sneaks out of her bed and through his door.  
"Hi." Unable to respond, he waves back with his good hand. There's a thousand different things he wants to say, so many that even without his throat being messed up, he wouldn't be able to speak any of them. Mercifully, instead of trying to talk with him, his big sister sits at his side, holding his hand.   
"Tatsuya... thank you."


	16. Roof - Jun and Haru

Haru's garden had always seemed like her happy place. Even on a bad day, she would invite him up to the school roof to take care of the plants, and they'd talk and laugh until she was in good spirits again. This time, it isn't working.  
She plucks tomatoes off the vine with far too much force, mutilating her plants in the process. This is completely unlike her, he thinks. She usually treats her plants better than she does people. "So, what happened?" Jun asks, shaking his head.  
"Huh? N-nothing happened. Why do you ask?" She sucks in a breath, her cheeks with it.  
"For one thing, I've never seen someone garden angrily before." He steps forward.  
"Well..." She straightens up her red gym clothes.  
"Also, when I brought it up you freaked out, so I know that something is wrong."  
Suddenly Haru's frustration turns into despair, and she's sitting on the ground next to a mint plant.  
"Did I- did I say something wrong?" he asks quickly.  
"N-no, it's..."   
And she tells him the whole story, about the horrible man her father wants her to marry. He leans into her in a not-quite hug, as they sit there in the strong heat of the day.  
"I'm sorry, Haru. I wish there was something I could do."


	17. Bully - Akira and Futaba

The new regular at Leblanc is not someone Akira knows. Futaba's the one that talks to him - Akira's information is all second-hand. The closest they've come to speaking is the few occasions they had acknowledged each other in the cafe. He shows up nearly every day to study, though, and Futaba is usually sitting with him. When he asks her about him, she's glad to fill him in.  
His name is Tatsuya Suou, and he's a third-year at Seven Sisters High School. He works part-time as a photographer. He's too claustrophobic to take the subway, so he gets around by motorcycle. He's quiet, and a good listener, but he's probably smarter than he lets on. He doesn't have many friends, even including Futaba. She doesn't really remember why she talked to him in the first place, but it might have something to do with the fact that he reminds her of Akira. And he might just be as infamous at his own school as Akira is at Shujin.  
"Apparently someone spread a rumor that he's some kind of pyromaniac."  
"What? Why?" He laughs nervously.   
"I mean, he does carry a lighter. But I think it's mostly that he intimidates people." She yawns, unconcerned.   
"It's not fun to have that kind of reputation." He raises his head, remembering the whispers that followed him at Shujin.  
"It can be, actually." Futaba taps on the table for emphasis. "The other day he told me about this first-year who asked him if he could burn down the school so they wouldn't have to take exams."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've enjoyed this story so far! Today I started college, so the update schedule is going to slow down. I'm still writing, though, so keep checking in. Please leave a comment if you've been keeping up with this fic!


	18. Camera - Tatsuya and Akira

Akira walks the streets of Shinjuku with Mifune-chan's latest reading fresh in his mind. First was the Sun - positivity, and overcoming obstacles. Then the Empress - a strong woman, or a mother figure. The third card she had drawn was the Devil - playfulness and excess. Then the Five of Wands, for rivalry, and the Seven of Cups, for temptation. Chihaya's prediction had been that he would have to deal with a woman who would cause him trouble - nothing he didn't already know, he thinks, as he enters the bar where Ohya seems to spend all her free time.  
His meeting with the journalist goes well, though - as well as it can, at least. On the way out, Morgana even makes a few snide remarks about how the fortune-teller must be losing her touch, which is, of course, when things begin to go wrong. Ohya follows him out the door, grumbling about being cut off. Her mumblings quickly turn back into a familiar cheerful shrillness.  
"Oh, look who it is!" She's speaking to another young woman with a camera, this one curly-haired and hard-eyed, and standing next to her is - is that Suou?  
"Ichiko." She sounds much less enthused than Ohya does.  
"So nice to see you again, Yukki!" she says with a smile, seeming to miss the annoyance on the woman's face.  
"What do you want?" she asks with resignation, rubbing her shoulder.  
"What, I'm not allowed to catch up with my old class-mates?" she says with an exaggerated pout. "Besides, I've been worried about you! What I heard is that you couldn't find work with _any_ of the big newspapers." Akira sees the woman's eye twitch, and Suou takes a step back. "Maybe it has something to do with your temper?"  
The hard-eyed woman _lunges_ , making Ohya stumble back with a shriek. They both seem equally surprised when her fists don't connect - Suou is already pulling her away.  
"Yukino-san! You can't just..." Suou warns in a low voice. Akira takes the opportunity to drag Ohya back, as well - people are starting to stare.  
"Sorry! She's drunk!" he calls out to Suou, while leading Ohya by the shoulder. "Okay... do you need a taxi?"  
"Nah." She's stunningly unconcerned for a woman who nearly had her face smashed in. "I can walk home from here."  
Akira makes a mental note to take Chihaya's predictions more seriously from now on.


	19. Drive - Katsuya and Maya

Katsuya had known immediately why he was chosen for the Phantom Thieves case. He does his job, follows the rules, keeps his head down. Their _modus operandi_ is to expose their marks' previously hidden crimes - and any officer on their case could easily become the next target. But if there's no dirt to dig up, the investigation is that much harder to derail - and apparently, as he had suspected, Katsuya is the most by-the-book police detective in Tokyo.  
But even though he keeps his head down, he keeps his eyes open. Staying beneath notice like he does lets him hear things he's sure he isn't meant to know. The whispers he catches become more and more sinister, more and more widespread, until by the new autumn, Katsuya is convinced that there is a cancer at the heart of the justice system.  
As he finds out, he's not the only one to realize this. A journalist is already chasing the story when his investigation starts - none other than Maya Amano, who is more than happy to join forces with him. Then Amano's roommate gets wind of what they're doing, and starts to share what she's heard as a politican's secretary - and so Ulala Serizawa joins them as their woman on the inside.  
It's not long after that one of their chats is hacked into mid-conversation, and Katsuya starts preparing for the worst. Instead, the newcomer introduces himself as Baofu, and declares that he's going to be working with them from now on - whether they like it or not. He isn't reassured - not when he recognizes the name. He had overheard it from the cybercrimes division, before Medjed had cornered the market on mysterious foreign hackers. Katsuya decides not to mention this - he's not going to alienate a new ally, especially one that's offering his own house as a meeting-place.  
Katsuya doesn't think twice until Amano starts driving.


	20. Ghost - Lisa and Yusuke

Yusuke had put his heart and soul into that painting. There's no way around that, when you're trying to paint the heart and soul of humanity. So its harsh reception had been... rather crushing. He knows that the best thing to do would be to move on to a fresh painting, but it's not that simple. He had taken his inspiration from Mementos itself, the distorted desires of society at large - it should have been a painting in which everyone could see a part of themselves.   
Or perhaps that was the problem. The painting offered a look into human nature, yes, but a part of it that no one wants to come to terms with. Of course no one had been interested in it. Except...   
Yusuke had almost forgotten about the girl he had seen at the exhibition. More accurately, he _has_ forgotten her - until one day, with the heat dying down, he takes the long way back to his dorm, and passes by a trio of girls in the same black school uniforms. The first is mature-looking with inky black hair, the second is more childish and more brown than black, and the third is blonde, slim, and athletic. None of the three have noticed him, and so he watches the blonde girl as he trails behind them, trying to place her face - it looks like it could belong to some marble sculpture, but he wouldn't mistake a statue for a person. Probably.  
When the recognition kicks in, it's all at once. That girl had been there at the museum, the day he brought Akira with him to the exhibition. His painting had captivated her from across the room, drawing her in to appreciate it properly. If _anyone_ had understood that painting, it was her, the girl only a few feet ahead of him.  
Yusuke needs to say _something_ to her, he's already on his second chance. He doesn't know how to get her attention, though, with all three of them giggling and chatting loudly. After what feels like an eternity, the blonde one says her goodbyes to her companions and starts in a different direction. He picks up the pace, frantically trying to decide what to say. Just as he's catching up to her, the girl turns around to face him - and he feels a fist connect with his stomach, making him double over.  
"Quit following me, you creep!" she shrieks, and races away. By the time the world stops spinning, she's long gone.  
Maybe this wasn't the best idea after all, Yusuke thinks.


	21. Alcohol - Tatsuya + Futaba and Anna

Seven Sisters High School looks like a stone fortress. Possibly a prison. Plausibly a cathedral, even if it's on the austere side. At least Shujin has a modern facade, and open spaces, and generally makes an effort not to look like a tomb. Sevens belongs in a history book, not the middle of Shinagawa.  
Of course, Tatsuya walks into his mausoleum of a school like it's nothing, so Futaba has to follow his example. The inside of the building is - what a surprise - unwelcoming concrete, tile, glass. It's a little cold outside, but the stone walls turn the school into an icebox. She's grateful for the jacket she always wears, and she's more grateful for the fact that most of the students have cleared out for the day - but Futaba still clings to his arm, just in case. There's a library committee meeting in full swing, and a few first-years skitter around the hallways, trying not to draw attention to themselves. The third-years' hall, however, is not as abandoned as they would have liked.  
"Takami keep you late again, Suou?" A messy-haired girl with lake blue eyes materializes out of a dark corner.  
"What? No." He folds his arms. "Just forgot something." Futaba sees something akin to a nod in the way the blue girl takes a swig from her water bottle. She seems to notice Futaba's presence quite suddenly, and either the wheels turning in her head are loud enough to hear, or there's a pencil being sharpened in a nearby classroom.  
"I did'n know you had a sister." She leans against the wall, overly casual. Tatsuya doesn't confirm or deny Blue's conclusion, and Futaba isn't about to correct her. "She's pretty cute," she mumbles, eyes still locked on her face. It feels something like being stared down by a tiger, if tigers were prone to patting heads and pinching cheeks - but she does her best to act natural. Nothing of the sort happens, though, because Blue is distracted by the fact that Tatsuya is still looking at the bottle in her hand. "What, y'want some?" She holds out the water bottle with a flourish, ignoring how some splashes over the side.  
"I, uh- no." Futaba tugs on his sleeve, and he takes the hint. "We should be going, actually."   
"See ya 'round, then." They make their way towards the stairs, Blue stumbling a bit as she starts in the opposite direction. "Say hi to Yukki for me!" Her voice echoes down the hallway from somewhere in the dark.  
"Tell her yourself!"


	22. Bandage - Tatsuya and Futaba

Futaba doesn't know how to fight.   
She hasn't told him that, but she doesn't have to. She's obviously never learned how to throw a punch properly, and she wouldn't hit hard enough to make up for it. She's not sturdy enough to take more than a few hits, by any means. She probably doesn't even have the coordination to get out of the way. Some people just aren't made for fighting. It's up to the people who _are_ made for fighting to look out for them.   
Tatsuya has always been one of those people. Even as a child, if someone hurt his friends' feelings, he had been ready to start a brawl in the sandbox. He gets called violent, of course, but not by anyone he would listen to in the first place. Every day he goes home with a bloody nose and and a black eye is a day someone else doesn't get hurt. He has people to protect - and yes, Futaba is one of them. Not that he can tell her.  
There's one day that he happens to wander into Leblanc with a busted lip and bruised knuckles. The girl's eyes go wide as soon as she sees him. Then he's being dragged through rainy alleyways, through the door of her warm house. The next thing Tatsuya knows, she's haphazardly covering him in bandaids. When he runs out of scratches and scrapes for him to plaster over, she starts on his bruises. She doesn't say anything the whole time - she patches him up in stunned silence.   
At some point, Sakura-san comes back to assess the situation. He tries not to stare at Tatsuya, bandaged in places that aren't even bleeding.   
"Did you win?"  
He simply nods.


	23. Jeans - Tatsuya and Goro

The Other Side isn't exactly a welcoming place. It doesn't seem _threatening_ , exactly, or at least, not anymore. But Tatsuya's familiarity with it doesn't mean it's any less unsettling. Not when the sky is dark, regardless of the time he arrives. Not when he can spend hours there and come back at the same time he left. (He's given up on setting his watch afterwards.) Not when anywhere that isn't bustling with people is completely empty. Not when parts of the city warp in ways that seem... unnatural. And definitely not when the people aren't actually people.  
The not-people on the Other Side, he's realized, are more like props than anything else. They exist because a city has to have people in it. And so they behave like people _should_ , not like people _do_.   
A not-person wouldn't sprint down the street like his life depended on it. He wouldn't snap at another not-person who ran into him. He wouldn't be carrying a gun, and he absolutely wouldn't be wearing a mask. This person blatantly belongs to the real world.   
Whoever he is, he's easy to follow. Not because he's not paying attention - he's been looking over his shoulder since Tatsuya noticed him. Because the boy in the black mask looks right past him. He's expecting someone, and it's not Tatsuya. And that's just fine. He doesn't need to be some masked hero to get things done. 


	24. Rug - Eikichi and Ryuji

The show wasn't as bad as he expected. The band itself is... decent, he decides. Not bad for highschoolers, and definitely better than he could do. He's not sure what the guy who ran the place is so upset about. Whatever the reason is, the boy with the blue-dyed hair - the one who had handed out the posters in Shinjuku - is getting chewed out in front of everyone. Ryuji considers going back home - he's only here because he had nothing better to do, after all. But then again, it _is_ kinda shitty to throw a band out in the middle of their first gig.  
So he finds himself tagging along. There has to be somewhere in this city that they can play, right? Even if it's just in some back room. Even if they have an audience of one. Even if Ryuji has to sit on the floor, because they couldn't find any chairs. And even if they run out of music, and end up sitting on the floor with him to talk.  
He's almost glad things turned out this way. If things had gone according to plan, he wouldn't be making friends with the band, would he? Once the blue-haired boy - he says his name is Eikichi - starts cracking jokes with him, the others start to come out of their shells too. As it turns out, Eikichi is happy to teach him some chords, trade numbers, and generally soak up the attention. And if he notices that Ryuji is a little... _distracted_ , he doesn't say anything.   
Honestly, if he had to do it all over again, he wouldn't change a thing.


	25. Chair - Tatsuya and Futaba

Futaba might have a few things backwards. Tatsuya's never seen her without her headphones, but she still leaves her computer speakers on. She can talk about death as casually as talking about dinner, then turn around and drink coffee black because it would be too awkward to ask for sugar. And apparently she thinks that bright sunny days are perfect for staying inside and playing video games.   
"What am I supposed to be doing?" Tatsuya lifts one shoulder in a half-shrug.  
"We're fighting." She sizes him up as he tries to keep his character from falling off of the stage. "That's the point of the game."  
"No, I get that part." He taps his leg with the controller. "I don't know how to do that."  
"Then, uh... just start pressing buttons," she coaches.  
"I think that did something - oh, that's a lot of blood."  
Futaba sets her desk chair spinning victoriously. "You want a rematch?" She slaps a hand over her mouth, trying to cover the smile that's crossing her face.  
"Not... not really." He hopes his face isn't as red as it feels. They sit quietly for a minute. Tatsuya watches the sliver of window that can be seen through the curtains; Futaba stares at the screen, letting her character go through her idle animations.  
"Hey," she says, "Do you want to see something cool?" He nods, cheering her up a little. "Watch this." She starts pressing buttons in a sequence that's either incredibly complicated or completely random, before going back to the title screen. When she starts the game again, her character is in a samurai's castle.  
"Is this a secret level?" He taps his fingers on the table.  
"More like dummied out." She gives a lopsided grin. "This is the debug room. We're not supposed to see this at all."  
"That's a lot of work they put into something they were just going to hide." He leans in closer, resting his hands on his legs.  
"That's what I always thought," she assures him. "Sometimes I feel like I have to find these spots to make sure they get appreciated enough."  
"I'm sure someone would be glad to know you're looking for it."


	26. Ribbon - Futaba

Sometimes Futaba wonders how she'll turn out. The idea of having a future is kind of novel to her, so she doesn't have any real plans. She might just stay with Sojiro - she doubts he would make her move out. Besides, it won't really be _that_ long until he's old, and it becomes her turn to take care of him.  
But she'll need a job to do that, probably. It wouldn't be hard to get around that, but she'll start with the possibilities that aren't illegal. Maybe by then she'd be able to handle a real job, one where she actually goes out and talks to people. And maybe by then hell will be frozen over. No, she would need to be able to work from home. She's not worried about that, though, considering all she can do with a computer already.   
If she won't need to get out in the city for work, though, why stay there? They could move somewhere where the mornings sound like birds instead of traffic, and the Tokyo crowds are a distant memory.  
Or, if future-Futaba is already moving, what's stopping her from striking out on her own? She could live by herself, and have stuff delivered so she wouldn't have to leave, and the whole town would know about her like some kind of high-tech witch. It could work. Sojiro knows how to use a phone, after all.  
But wouldn't that get lonely? She's not really a people person, but it's good to have someone to talk to. Why not bring someone with her? It couldn't just be anyone, of course. And she can't imagine living with anyone else she knows, except maybe...  
Maybe Tatsuya. There's no way to be fully sure what will happen in their futures. Or maybe their future, singular. Someday, she might be braver, she might be able to tell him things that she's too scared to say yet. But for now, she can imagine some of the possibilities.  
She can imagine that years from now, the two of them could have a little piece of paradise, in some town far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. He might follow in his father's and brother's footsteps, going into law enforcement. Or he might not. Of course, Futaba could still use her skill with technology to earn them some extra money. It would at least make up for the fact that she's... domestically challenged, she's going to call it. But maybe Tatsuya won't mind.  
How long would it be just the two of them, though? Once their future selves run off together, it might not be long at all. It might be stranger if they _didn't_ have a kid sooner or later. A girl would probably be more fun, since they could dress her up and braid her hair, but either would be fine to her.  
One thing at a time, though, Futaba thinks. The Phantom Thieves still have hearts to steal.


End file.
